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[Dec. 7th, 2009|10:12 am] |
I feel like I'm living in a dream. The Saints are 12-0!!! I just don't know what to say, I said yesterday that the saints win almost makes me believe in God. I don't know why I love the Saints so much, just that the first thing I bought when I got out of college were season tickets and there's only been two seasons that I didn't have them since then, the divorce year and Katrina year. My brother and I got these seats in 2006, and I can say proudly say that I have watched every saints playoff win in history (ha! there's only two!). And this year, if we go to the superbowl, it's scheduled on the day before my birthday, so that will be my birthday present...So ten years I've watched every home game, and maybe this is the year.
I'll never forget how in college Beau and I used to use this complicated series of coin flips to determine whether or not we would spend our last bit of money for the week to drive to nola to go watch the saints play. Almost every time the saints won out and we would be eating ramen for the next couple of weeks, but it was worth it. Or the time we drove all night to Tampa to watch a game, the saints lost 41-17 (aaron brooks was quarterback), and we were so mad that we turned around and drove straight back without even stopping to sleep! And we did this in our 1977 Cutlass, it had the biggest windshield and felt like movie driving. The time I got so mad that the saints lost to the colts 44-10 was the score that I went down to the plaza level and started screaming all the nicknames that I had given the players at them and was kindly escorted out the door by the police. I think the saints are the only thing that has made me so mad I've wanted to break something. Or make me so happy I want to break something.
So many great memories associated with that team and very little of them happen to be about the game, but the experiences of them all. And now I think they are going to create some even more incredible memories. Like cheering through all the playoff games, road trip to miami, who knows, I can't stop daydreaming about the possibilities. So thank you saints, I can't wait to see how it all plays out. |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 21st, 2009|10:30 pm] |
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One of the most important things someone has ever said to me was one day a long time ago when Holly was around 18 months old and I was really upset with her for god knows what and he said "remember, she's a little human being with her own thoughts and feelings" O'm thinking about that because for the last god knows however long, I feel like I've been judging everyone. Whenever someone has a thought or feeling different from me, i've grown into the habit of judging them based on how I would've reacted in the same position. And I've started to realize again that people are just different. i really hold an optimistic view of people, I really think that 95-98% of people would do the right thing given the situation arise. ANd it's made me think of all the people that I've wrongfully judged just because they are different from me. So I'm rethinking my views, and trying to come to terms with the fact that I'm not some totally awesome human being, and everyone should agree with me because I'm right, but trying to understand that everyone thinks differently because they are different. We all have the same insecurities, and we all just want to be accepted for who we are, not what society thinks that we should be. One of my clsoe friends actually introduced me as "This is Brandy, she's the most non judgemental person you will ever meet" I wish that were true, but I'm working on it, day by day. |
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| (no subject) |
[Sep. 9th, 2009|05:10 am] |
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I asked Holly what she thought of Obama's speech and she said "touching and encouraging" I'm proud of her for being able to express such a mature thought. It's hard to remember that she is only 9. I'm trying not to let the Mississippi crowd get me down. I posted on facebook what Holly said about the speech and while no one said anything directly to me, a couple of people made their status updates to refer to how stupid some people are saying that Obama was inspirational. It makes me sick still. I mean do they actually think that Obama is worse than Bush? What planet do they live on? I'm almost to the point where I want to cancel my facebook page because I just think the majority of my "friends" from Mississippi are freaking idiots. I'm so glad I don't live there anymore. One of them who has been the most vocal about Obama and thinks that he's the antichrist had two kids before she turned 20. Both of them were born through Medicaid, she had food stamps and covered medical care. But see now she found a sugar daddy (he's twenty five years older than her), got pregnant and now she's pretty well set up. She refused to send her kids to school on Obama speech day, which is idiotic in the first place, and constantly preaches about how universal health care is going to ruin us, we're headed to socialism, blah blah blah. I just want to sit her down and point out, why is it okay for you to get two births paid for by the government, plus all their health care and food to feed them, but not for everybody else? I guess she's allowed to use government health care but no one else is. What about all those people who have a job but cannot afford it? I would really like people to explain this to me, I don't understand. Maybe I'm missing some key ingredient.... |
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| My new favorite books |
[Jul. 11th, 2009|02:18 pm] |
I've really gotten into Evelyn Waugh in the past couple of months. He is beau's favorite author. I picked up Brideshead Revisited in the bathroom, and started reading it, finished it, then read it again. It's not an easy book to read, there's so many themes in it, that I end up reading it, thinking about it, then reading it again. Now I almost want to write a paper on it about the religious themes throughout it. Where was this interest in college? Anyways, I just finished Decline and Fall and it's become one of my favorite books. His satorical take on everything has me in hysterics. Everybody has such weird names and such weird things happen to them that I find it utterly delightful. I still think he's hard to read, he's so wordy and sometimes he just jumps around that it's hard to follow. But it's worth it. I'm starting Scoop, and I haven't really gotten into it yet. I've tried to read Black Mischief so many times, and I really like the story, but there's so much happening and it feels all disorganized and chaotic. That's Beau's favorite book, and we laugh about the themes in it all the time, but I've never had the patience to sit through it.
I'm excited about reading all his works and even though sometimes it feels like a chore, they stay with me for a long time. Excited because it's been a long long time since I have felt like reading any books. I guess I should rephrase that and say reading any new books. I probably have 2/3 of Kurt Vonnegut's books memorized. And I read textbooks and newspapers all the time, but I'm a little obsessive about books. When I start reading a book, the whole world slips away until it's finished. And I always finish them even if I hate them. So sometimes it feels like a chore. And I've found that I don't like most pop fiction because it seems so banal. I'm almost scared to pick up any books. We go to the bookstore about once a week because Holly devours books, and I just walk around aimlessly and never end up buying anything because I'm scared it will be horrible. So I'm glad I've found Waugh again so that I can read something that seems worthwhile.
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| Absinthe |
[Nov. 12th, 2007|11:08 am] |
So Absinthe is now legal again, so Friday night I went to Pravda to take a ride with the green fairy.
Well, I don't know much about when absinthe was legal, but obviously they didn't have any taste buds!! It was the worst tasting stuff I've ever had. At Pravda they make it the old timey way, they melt a sugar cube over it and then pour I guess it's water over it. It tasted like licorice medicine.
I didn't see any green fairies either, but that might be because it took me over an hour to drink it down. And for $12 a drink, I don't think I'll be having it again any time soon! |
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| (no subject) |
[Oct. 6th, 2007|11:47 am] |
Last night Sharon, Cheryl, Paul, Brian and I went to see George Clinton. I wore my dreadlocks and they looked outstanding. Paul got all dressed up in a shirt and tie and looked super cute. By the end of the night, his tie became a great dancing tool. We ended up making out all over the dance floor. It was pretty sexy and a hole bunch trashy.
George Clinton was okay. His band was pretty awesome, but he's all cracked out.
After the show we went back to Paul's where I immediately passed out. I think they stayed up until five or six, drinking still. That's where the age is creeping up on me. Can't stay up all night.
Tonight I think I'm going to see the Beach Boys. That should be fun! |
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| A sense of accomplishment |
[Sep. 22nd, 2007|09:43 am] |
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I just got finished decontaminating my whole entire lab. We had a mold problem and since we don't use antibiotics with stem cells, everybody was getting contamination. So we decided to do close everything and scrub it from top to bottom. In my first six weeks I have broken down three tissue culture suites and 19 incubators. I had to wear a space suit with a regulator for nine days straight. It was awful beyond words. I worked almost 50 hours a week for the past two, including Saturdays. I went through over 800 songs on my ipod. I need more music. I'm officially tired of everything that I own. But my lab is finished, and everything thing is exactly where I want it, and I intimately know the inner workings of all my equipment. So for as terrible it was, I learned so much. Not only that, but I earned the respect of all my coworkers and bosses. I didn't think I was going to make it, it was really tough. But I just keep in my mind, if all good things must come to an end, then all bad things must also come to an end. And it did. My lab opens up again on Tuesday because I am taking a well earned day off on Monday. |
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| Halloween |
[Sep. 16th, 2007|01:01 pm] |
I think my Halloween costume is pretty much designed. I bought this really colorful, crazy wig a couple of months ago that deserves a costume built around it. It's bright gold and orange with some bright pink and blue highlights. It's about shoulder length with two small pigtails (just bringing half the hair up) with these huge orange pon pon thing ponytail holders. As soon as I saw it, I grabbed it and thought it would make a great spacegirl/superhero outfit.
I think I want a white corset and a white short skirt with some geometric orange designs on the lower right leg. Then white boots, maybe some arm covers that are white with orange and maybe some kind of orange shoulders (like a triangle design that points up. I have it completely pictured in my mind, now all I have to do is draw it up and pick the fabric. I'm thinking maybe vinyl or leather. I think I can find a corset that I want but the skirt, arm thingies and shoulders are going to need a seamstress. I wonder if there are any down here that specialize in costumes. I wish I could sew. Part of me just wants to go buy a sewing machine, and figure out how to do it myself.
If I can pull this off, I think it will be my best costume that I've ever designed. It's becoming quite an obsession with me. I love trying to piece together and pull off the look that I want. I just wish I could do it in my regular fashion. |
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| Freedom |
[Sep. 16th, 2007|10:22 am] |
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Freedom is dancing to the eighties with two of your best friends as the only people on the dance floor. It was the greatest feeling I've had in a while. |
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| Fun fun things coming! |
[Aug. 23rd, 2007|04:42 pm] |
September 20 - The Roots
October 5 - George Clinton and P-Funk
October 26-28 - Voodoo Festival!!
And of course the most fun most important thing of all - SAINTS GAMES!!!! Having season tickets is the best thing in the whole entire world! |
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| New Friends |
[Jul. 22nd, 2007|11:49 pm] |
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Just had a great two hour phone conversation with this guy Jacob. I met him when Jehne came down to Nola a month ago, Jacob drove down from Tuscaloosa to spend the weekend (he lived here until Katrina). We meet over coffee and pretty talked all day. Nice conversation tonight, long talks on all our life's views and all that good stuff. I love that first meeting people conversations where you realize you have all kinds of cool stuff in common. I needed it, I barely left my house, there's too many last minute things to do before it finally gets fixed for the final time over the next two or three weeks! Hooray for that! |
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| It's mine! |
[Jul. 18th, 2007|01:26 pm] |
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I got the job!! I'm now the Lab Supervisor for the Center of Gene Therapy. A six thousand dollar raise + tuition reimbursement. Woo hoo!!! I start in two weeks. |
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| (no subject) |
[Jul. 16th, 2007|04:52 pm] |
Holly's gone for three weeks to her dad's house. That's a crazy amount of time. Going to try to make the best of it and spend lots of time with my friends that I never get to see anymore.
Tonight:
Drag show with Sharon, going to watch a couple guys we know and love and cheer them on!
Hooray! |
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| One childhood goal accomplished ~ well almost |
[Jul. 12th, 2007|03:22 pm] |
I've been published!! My name is in black and white!! I don't believe it.
But it's not in any big journal, it's in the Ochsner Journal, which is the big huge hospital I work at and it's in the original research abstracts. So it's not like cancer research or anything like that but I am the primary author on it!! Oh yeah, I'm the second author in another one!!
So even though it's not big, baby steps Brandy, baby steps. At least it can be cited!
Further note: Paper to cancer research should be finished in two months. |
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| (no subject) |
[Jun. 29th, 2007|06:54 am] |
My friend Jehne is visiting from (I think) Colorado. I met her along with everyone else through Jerry. She lived down here for a few years and her and Cheryl made a great movie last year. I say I think she's visiting from Colorado because she is a nomad. Her home base is in Colorado, but there's no telling where she's going or where she's been. We have a strange bond that I've never had with anyone else. She was born on the same day in the same year as me. We're so much alike but yet so different. She's the vagabond that I always wish that I could be but never was and I am to her what it would be like if she settled down. I can't wait to hang out with her this weekend.
Oh, and today is a very very special day. My little girl turns 7!!! How in the hell did I get a 7 year old? It's amazing, just like she's completely amazing. I'm such a proud mommy, it's insane. She's such a sweet, good natured girl. They say it takes a village to raise a child and I feel like I have that over here. There are so many people that love her and help me with her and make her feel welcome (even with my friends without kids) that I feel like the luckiest person in the world! |
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| Musical Infusions |
[Jun. 5th, 2007|08:28 am] |
With all the music festivals going on right now, I've been starting to categorize the bands that have meant the most to me in each stage of my life. And now that I've started, I've realized just how much of my life can really be categorized as to what I was listening to at the time.
Teenage years:
Indigo Girls
Phish
Sheryl Crowe
Nirvana
College years:
Alannis Morrisette
Sarah McLaughlin
After Divorce:
Usher
Jay-Z
Crystal Method
Baby Anne
In the past two years:
The Killers
MuteMath
The Cure
Rebirth Brass Band
I could go on and on about the music influences that I've had in the past couple of years. I feel like it's the beginning of my musical awakening. I've seen more music this past year and a half than I have at any other point in time probably added up. I've finding out that I have a particular love for rock infused with brass and keyboards.
I saw both The Killers and MuteMath within two weeks of each other. Both of their CDs I listen to daily and I have a particular song that I listen to first of all. For The Killers, it's This River is Wild, and for MuteMath, it's Typical. Well for both their shows that was the first song that they played!! I don't see how it can get any better.
Anyways, continuing with the month of awesome festivals, this weekend is the Louisiana Seafood/Cajun Zydeco festival. More great music, more great food, life in New Orleans can not get any better! I don't care that everything is still falling apart here, as long as we have the music and the soul, there is no place I would rather be. |
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| New York, New York |
[Apr. 30th, 2007|07:23 am] |
So today is my last full day in the Big Apple. It has been the most amazing trip.
On Wednesday when we got here we walked around Times Square, and went to this Town Hall Reading Series where they had a list of ten authors that gave readings from their books. Their were ten in all and the best were Neil Gaiman (Jonathan's favorite author), Steve Martin(who read from his new book about his standup career), Kiran Desai (who read with such passionand amusement you had to love her), Salman Rushdie (who was by far the most hilarious one) and Nadine Gordimer (who made me cry and won the Nobel Prize for Literaturein 1991). After the readings, everyone but Steve Martin had book signings, so I got a book signed by Nadine Gordimer and Jonathan got one signed by Neil Gaiman, which was a dream come true for him because he actually got to talk to him for a few minutes). Then we went and had dinner at the Carnegie Deli whose sandwiches cost 15 bucks a piece! Crazy stuff.
On Thursday we went to lunch with one of his friends, Enrique, and his girlfriend at some Belgian place. New weird food,` great new beer. We met an old Belgian couple who were so cool. We talked to them as much as we talked to Jonathan's friends. Next we went to see Letterman who had Steve Martin as his guest! It was quite an experience, I haven't watched Letterman in years and I've never had an hour pass by so quickly. After that we went shopping around where I found earrings for 2 dollars a piece. Since my earrings are known as "disposable" because I lose them so often,it was a perfect place.
Friday, we went to Chinatown where I got to eat yummy Dim Sum. And Chinatown has to be crap central. You can buy any sort of crap for so cheap. I got some more earrings for two bucks a piece along with all sorts of silly things. And the store people try to grab you off the street and get you to buy stuff. All I heard was Prada, Prada, Gucci, Gucci. It was crazy. Then we went and saw Phantom of the Opera, which I, of course, cried all through out. It was so amazing, the sets were incredible, the show was incredible and we had really great seats. I really felt like I was a part of it, and I was mesmerized.
Saturday was the NFL Draft. I left around 5:30 in the morning and still did not get tickets! But it was okay because after I knew I wasn't getting tickets, I walked over to ESPN Zone where I stood in line from 7:30 to 11:00. But it was incredible. Everyone who did not get tickets went over there. Since I was at the beginning of the line, I got to sit upstairs at the best place in the bar. Two huge screens along with about 12 screens lined up on the sides and down the middle. Even the bathroom stalls had their own TVs. It was some crazy shit! I met the coolest people. I met a first responder RN during Katrina and we exchanged stories. Everyone knew that I was from New Orleans because the jersey I was wearing was Marquis Colston (a 7th round pick last year and who went to school in Long Island). But everyone local who loved the saints always has a Drew Brees or Reggie Bush jersey. And actually I was the only person with a Saints jersey in the whole entire place. After initial talks, everyone knew I was a true football fan and no longer was I a girl, but an equal in their eyes. I drank so much beer. We kept making bets on who was going to get picked and I lost 3 beers and won 4! Not that bad, if I do say so myself! After the Saints picked, it was 6 and my new friends from Jersey had to leave and we split a cab to Madison Square Garden, where I jumped into another bar and waited for Jonathan to come over so we could go see The Killers!!! Which was by far the most amazing concert I've ever seen. (probably because I just love them so much). They had a Beatles tribute band from Japan with them who were pretty cool in their own right. I loved how The Killers did not talk at all. They said "New York!!" one time and at the end they said "Let's give it up for blah blah and blah (all the opening bands). And that was it! Just two hours of their music. I swear they are so cool!
Sunday I was a little hungover, but not so much since Jonathan wisely made me drink a whole bunch of water so I wouldn't feel bad the next day. We went to the absolute top of Manhattan, Inwood, to meet up with some of his friends and then went to a Native American festival where I found a necklace that I swear was made just for me.
So here I am at today. Jonathan and I are going to split up so he can go boy shopping (all those comic books and record shops he wants to go to) and I can go girl shopping and hit up all the stores that I've carefully mapped out in my mind. Then he's going to meet up with his oldest friend, Natalia, and I'm meeting up with an old friend of mine, Reale, for dinner. So much fun!
I love New York. I haven't gotten lost once, and my sense of direction here is actually strong, and I don't know how that happened, because I am the worst at directions. We're staying in Jersey City which is right on the water and you can see the Manhattan sky line. It's only a short train ride away from Manhattan. I actually feel right at home, like I could live here. I've met some really cool people, and maybe after I finish grad school I will move here. It's awesome. But what's crazy is that it seems like so many people speak different languages around here. They have neighborhoods where no one speaks English at all, and that's weird because after all, we are in America! A true melting pot, and I absolutely love it here! |
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| New York here I come!! |
[Apr. 24th, 2007|03:02 pm] |
Flying out tomorrow morning! I can't wait.
And I am officially stalking Steve Martin.
Tomorrow night I'm going to a literary panel where Steve Martin is one of the panelists. Thursday night I'm going to the Letterman show, and he's a guest!
Completely not planned. But very cool and random! |
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| Goodbye my dear friend |
[Apr. 16th, 2007|07:18 pm] |
Dear Mr. Vonnegut,
I remember the first time I picked up one of your stories, when I was a junior in high school. It was your short story, "Harrison Bergeron." I was fascinated by the way he broke the rules, the way he ripped off his chains and his masks that made him just like everyone else and broke off with a dancer and danced higher and more beautiful than anyone had ever seen. How he was shot down for being different and then even his parents didn't remember how their son broke the rules and dared to fly higher and higher. As soon as I saw your vision, I was hooked. Cats Cradle was my first book, a book that I have reread at least a dozen times. Then Slaughterhouse Five, Breakfast of Champions, God Bless you Mr. Rosewater, and every one of your fourteen books. Player Piano is my favorite, I've counted, I've read the book fifteen times that I can remember, probably more than that. No one has even come close to influencing my life the way you have. You taught me to think outside the box, to reach intellectual heights that I never even thought possible. Every single philosophical argument I make has your mark all over it. I remember seeing you my senior year in college and thinking that it was the greatest day of my life. Seeing a legend, my legend in person and hearing you lecture about the structure of literature. The absurdity at which you always presented your case always made sense, no matter how many unbelievable characters, how many insane circumstances, the broader picture always seemed crystal clear. I wish that I would have had the chance to speak to you in person, hang out with you for just a little while and tell you all the ways you have left your mark on me. That time has passed, but you will be forever immortalized at least in my life. You have been there with me in the dark times when I was questioning myself and everything around me. You have been my guide when I was so confused I couldn't think straight. When I didn't think there was a soul around me who would ever understand, I would pick up your books and the darkness would lift. So even if I never met you personally, you were my dear friend. Rest in peace, Mr. Vonnegut, I love you very much. |
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| Purple haze |
[Apr. 13th, 2007|02:49 pm] |
So last night I decided to touch up my hair by myself. I usually use manic manic, which works out pretty well for me. But I had this stuff I bought from Hot Topic and thought I would go ahead and use it. Well, big mistake. My whole body is now stained purple. It's horrible. And anything that I rub my head against turns purple also. I've probably rinsed my hair out for at least an hour, to no avail. It just keeps coming out. And it smells bad. I still went out with my friends last night. I thought about it and figured I had two options, I could stay home because, well I was purple, or I could go out and just proclaim to everyone that I got in a fight with the purple people eater and won. And I decided the purple people eater story was much much better, and purple body, who the fuck cares? My friends don't care, and everyone else just doesn't really exist to me so why do I care what they think?
It was fun and novel, but fuck, I'm fucking tired of smelling like weird rotten flowers and having a purple body. It's starting to fade and I'm about to get into the shower for the six time, so maybe by tomorrow, French Quarter Festival, I'll be back to normal.
Oh, and my friend Dave brought me a hookah back from Israel. Very very cool, he's awesome. |
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